I am collecting entries in reincarnation

Chapter 22 Everyone is equal
"At the beginning of life, everyone should be equal. The so-called inequality lies in the level of status," said Li Ming.

"After all, there is still a difference between high and low. The so-called equality is nothing but a publicity stunt!" Ma Chunhe said with a sneer.

"Okay, let me ask you, what dynasty was it four hundred years ago?"

"The King of Song was unjust and the people were suffering. Our Great Qi Emperor Taizu, starting from humble beginnings, raised an army to attack him and eventually conquered the world! Master Zhang, you knew about the evolution of ancient Chinese texts, but now you don't even know that?" Ma Chunhe answered proudly, and then his face suddenly turned pale.

"Hahaha, good! Good answer!" Li Ming laughed again.

"Let me ask you, Emperor Taizu of Qi was originally a farmer. Before he rose up in arms and conquered the world, who was more respected, the King of Song or the Emperor Taizu?"

"This, this. What you said is extremely treasonous!" Ma Chunhe had completely lost his composure, his face turned pale and blue, which was very ugly.

"Let me answer!" Li Ming turned his head and looked at the onlookers, his voice suddenly rising octaves.

"Taizu was born a farmer, a lowly position! Prince Song was born into the royal family, a high position!"

"However, Taizu could not bear the suffering of the people and rose up in rebellion, which shows his high virtue. The King of Song is tyrannical and cruel, exploiting the people, which shows his low virtue!"

"Both Xizi and Zhongzi were great sages, compiling classics to educate the people. However, Xizi served three times before resigning, while Zhongzi traveled extensively without ever holding an official position. Comparing them to the five hegemons of the time—Han, Wu, Li, Xian, and Wen—who was superior and who was inferior, who was noble and who was humble?!"

Xizi and Zhongzi's status is similar to Confucius and Mencius on the blue planet. Of course, their specific deeds are different. The Five Hegemons just mentioned are the five hegemonic countries in the Warring States Period. They all refused the two masters when they wanted to take up official positions. This is an adaptation of the historical allusions of this world.

Who can answer this question?
Who dares to answer this question?
Li Ming was not surprised by this. When he was Zhu Chang in his previous life, he was well-read in classics and knew the history of the Ming Cult in this world like the back of his hand. There was no such thing as the theory of status in this world, so now he could show off.

At this point, some people present had flushed faces, some were trembling as if struck by lightning, and some were just spectators who had no idea what was going on.

Even Zhang Tianhuan was stunned at this moment. Li Ming had never mentioned these remarks to him, but they were thought-provoking and deafening!
Of course, this is not the end!
Because it needs an answer.

A breeze blew by, dispersing the white clouds in the sky. The dazzling sunlight shone directly down, reflecting on Li Ming's young, tender, yet heroic face, as if it was coated with a layer of golden light.

Li Ming looked around, taking in everyone's performance. He paused for a moment and spoke leisurely.

"So I say, all men are born equal, there is no high or low in character, only in status!"

“The dignity of sages lies in their virtues, which I call character.”

"The dignity of the Son of Heaven lies in his position of authority, which I call the human position."

“All men are born equal, not in status, but in personality!”

"Throughout the ages, the incompetent rulers held high positions but were humbled; through the ages, the sages held low positions but were revered."

"As far as personality is concerned, no matter if they are kings, generals, or common people, they are all born equal!" "The dignity of a person's personality should be determined by his or her virtue."

Li Ming said sincerely, "I'm opening a school now, not for anything else, but to respect the equality of human beings and to ensure that everyone has the right to education!"

Looking at the chaotic scene, Li Ming's mouth curled up.

Little guys, I can't control you. Do you think I've been reading novels on Qidian for nothing? Don't you think I don't know how to rebel?
I flipped through the history section and found this novel had no date. Scribbled across every page were the words "golden finger essential for time travel." I couldn't sleep anyway, so I spent half the night carefully reading until I could make out the words between the lines. The entire book was covered in the word "rebellion"!
These remarks were like a depth charge, completely beyond the vision and thinking of the ancient people. However, they were also expressed by Li Ming in a way that was consistent with current values ​​and ideas, and it did not seem so difficult to accept.

If there is no distinction between high and low in birth, but only high and low status, then even an ordinary citizen, as long as he is both virtuous and talented, is more noble than an emperor or a general!
Li Ming knew very well what was hidden behind these words.

But he didn't intend to point it out. Although the world was in ruins right now, if he said this, he would easily become the target of public criticism. At least, this was enough for now.

Later generations of historians called today's discussion the "Datong Ceremony", the beginning of Datong in the world. Its influence on later generations continued to ferment for hundreds of years, and Ma Chunhe also made his name go down in history because of this question.

It also provides a story about an idiom for future generations, "Ma Chun asked about history", which describes a person who is short-sighted and only sees what is in front of him. Sometimes it also refers to a lack of self-confidence.

Spring goes and autumn comes, time flies, and in the blink of an eye, a year has passed.

The discussion of that day spread, and regardless of the impact it had, compulsory education finally began to show results.

After Li Ming's shocking speech that day, many people came to sign up, and now hundreds of people have been enrolled. However, the selection of teachers is giving Li Ming a headache. Unexpectedly, right after he finished his speech, Wen Zhixian did not hesitate to express his intention to sign up on the spot.

Li Ming then conducted some tests on him and found that this guy was really a talented person.

Not only is he very familiar with the classics of famous religions that he studies every day, he also knows a lot about mathematics, arithmetic, and legal knowledge. The most important thing is that this kid is not pedantic, on the contrary, he has a very flexible mind.

Li Ming immediately decided to appoint him as the director of studies, and transferred several accountants to assist him. With the help of Li Ming himself, he was able to barely keep the business going.

Compulsory education mainly cultivates officials, that is, grassroots government staff, so it does not teach books on orthodox teachings, but only teaches arithmetic, law, and basic reading and writing skills.

Moreover, the requirements for handling grassroots work are not that high. You just need to know a thousand words and do addition and subtraction correctly. Therefore, with high-intensity learning, you can graduate in less than a year.

There are also some requirements when selecting. Basically, they are selected from illiterate farmers and beggars. Not to mention wealthy families, even poor students are rarely selected.

After all, this is like a blank slate, training from scratch. The deeper the knowledge, the more solid the three views. As the saying goes, it is easy to kill the thief in the mountain, but difficult to defeat the thief in the heart. Instead of taking the trouble to turn those people into your own use, there may be a possibility of backlash, it is better to teach from the beginning. At least after teaching, it will be completely your own shape.

The people cultivated in this way will gradually replace those in the original ruling system, forming a natural opposition of interests. At that time, they may provoke a crazy counterattack from the old forces, but they are destined to be abandoned by the times.

Li Ming firmly believes that the organizational team with the Scientific Outlook on Development as its ideological program will surely achieve ultimate victory!

(End of this chapter)